The instrument of a musician is a voice, one intrinsically blessed with the gift to speak any language in the world, wielded joyfully in the ancient market squares of Morocco, the beach-side lounges of the Caribbean, or a hole-in-the-wall jazz pizza café in Mexico City.

Lucky onlookers donned their hard hats as Brent “Doc” Watkins welcomed the first public viewing of 21st century San Antonio’s first true jazz club, sharing insights and shining construction site lights upon the heart of his creation.

In their midsummer’s Sunday best on Friday night, a hip slew of characters gathered on the roof of Artpace, with the San Antonio skyline as the backdrop, for the second installment of the 2016 Rooftop Jazz Concert Series, a collaboration between Artpace and 91.7 KRTU that has set a high bar for the consumption of jazz music.